The third clue in the beta
Researchers systematically analyzing the code of the first iOS 27 beta found, beyond the already-known `foldState` and `angleDegrees`, a third API worth noting: a key that returns the total count of built-in displays present on the device. On a current iPhone the value would always be one. A foldable device with two internal screens would return two.
MacRumors documented this discovery, noting that combined with the other two strings, the set forms a coherent group of software primitives intended to describe the physical state of a device with a hinge. These are not isolated strings or abandoned code remnants: their positioning suggests they are part of a public or semi-public API that Apple is preparing for developers.
Toward iPhone Ultra
The triple evidence reinforces the reading that the so-called iPhone Ultra — Apple's first foldable iPhone, expected in September 2026 alongside iPhone 18 Pro — will be managed by iOS 27 with dedicated APIs for hinge state and multi-screen layout. Developers will presumably be asked to declare support for this type of layout in advance, similar to how adaptive layout works for iPad. All this without Apple having made a single explicit announcement about it during the keynote.